NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� The Marvel sequel 鈥淭hor: Love & Thunder鈥� dropped a hefty 68% in its second weekend of release but still held the top spot at the box office, according to studio estimates Sunday, while the bestseller adaptation 鈥淲here the Crawdads Sing鈥� debuted with a better-than-expected $17 million.
led all films with an estimated $46 million, bringing its two-week global total to $498 million. The sizable decline is more than most Marvel films but in line with recent releases from the Walt Disney Co. superhero studio, including 鈥淪pider-Man: No Way Home鈥� (68%), 鈥淏lack Widow鈥� (68%) and 鈥淒octor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness鈥� (67%).
鈥淟ove and Thunder" also faced a trio of newcomers, though none came close to toppling Chris Hemsworth's god of thunder. Best among them was Sony Pictures' 鈥淲here the Crawdads Sing," . It opened well despite weak reviews (36% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes).
The Reese Witherspoon-produced mystery stars Daisy Edgar-Jones as a woman who raised herself in the coastal Carolina marshlands and focuses on a murder investigation of a local celebrity. Moviegoers liked it better than critics, giving it an A- CinemaScore.
It was a particularly good result for a page-to-screen drama, and another sign that adult audiences 鈥� who have also helped fuel the success of (still in fourth place with $12 million in its eighth weekend) and (up to $106.2 million after four weeks) 鈥� are nearly all the way back to pre-pandemic levels
Appealing to a similar demographic, Focus Features' starring Lesley Manville as a London cleaner who pines for a Dior dress, also opened strongly, with $1.9 million in 980 theaters. Said Focus distribution chief Lisa Bunnell: 鈥淥lder movie-goers are returning to enjoy the in-theater experience.鈥�
Meanwhile, the held the second spot with $26 million in its third weekend of release. The Universal Pictures release has thus far grossed $262.6 million domestically and $532.7 million worldwide, .
The Minions made it difficult for a new family entry: 鈥淧aws of Fury: The Legend of Hank.鈥� The Paramount Pictures animated release, launched with a modest $6.3 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. 鈥淭hor: Love and Thunder,鈥� $46 million.
2. 鈥淢inions: The Rise of Gru,鈥� $26 million.
3. 鈥淲here the Crawdads Sing,鈥� $17 million.
4. 鈥淭op Gun: Maverick,鈥� $12 million.
5. 鈥淓lvis,鈥� $7.6 million.
6. 鈥淧aws of Fury: The Legend of Hank,鈥� $6.3 million
7. 鈥淭he Black Phone,鈥� $5.3 million.
8. 鈥淛urassic: Dominion,鈥� $5 million.
9. 鈥淢rs. Harris Goes to Paris,鈥� $1.9 million.
10. 鈥淟ightyear,鈥� $1.3 million.
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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
